A Leader's Strength
by Vic Powell
Summary: Follow Princess Venus as she meets the other Sailor Soldiers, deals with a fourteen year old princess falling in love, and falls in love herself? Trouble everywhere, adjusting to a new planet and new rules, in a palace so big she can't find the kitchen! K for now, may change later. Probably will. VenusxKunzite
1. Chapter 1

A pillar of strength, admired by all her followers, staring blankly out at them all until someone calls her name. Then she smiles, carefree and immortal.

"Sailor Venus!"

The blonde haired, orange clad warrior waved to the child that called her name so sweetly. Venus looked down at the crowds of people that were gathered below to hear her speech. It was depressing for her, but exciting at the same time. She was dressed in a light orange dress that fell off her shoulders and was tied high on her waist, the skirt falling to her thighs, golden laces trailing up her arms and legs. She wore burnt gold clips in her hair, her sky blue eyes always seeming to be thinking a step ahead, yet playfully so.

"My people, today a great honor has been bestowed upon me. I am to join the Moon Kingdom and help to guide and protect their princess. It has been a long time since we have been called upon for duty, but this peace could not last forever. It is with a heavy heart that I must bid farewell to you all until the threat passes and I can once more rule over you properly. Until I return, I have instructed…"

The crowd could barely hear what their princess was saying. Venus was raised by her mother in the palace to rule them, and, if the need ever arose, to protect Princess Serenity. There had been peace for so long that they had almost forgotten that there was a higher power the Queen of Venus answered to. She was to send her daughter, who was of age to be a scout, to the moon to help protect their princess. The people were uneasy, but they knew that the Venus line was always the leader in any Sailor party that protected the royals of the moon.

That day Venus stared into the crowds of her followers, her admirers, her people. She felt a sob form in her throat and turned away quickly, brushing away the tears that threatened to fall. Her soft shoes made no sound on the marble floors as she went to see her mother, kneeling before the aging queen to hear her words of wisdom.

"Sailor Venus, leader of the Sailor Soldiers, protector of the Moon Princess, today you shall embark on a journey to the Moon so that you may better aid this universe. You have trained hard for this day my dear, and now it is time to prove that you are the leader you were meant to be." The queen held out a sword to Venus, who stared at it quietly before rising, stepping up to her mother and offering her hands for the blade. "This sword has been passed down from one ruler of Venus to the next, each Sailor Soldier Leader wielding it should the need ever arise. Today I present it to you, Venus, and hope that you will do well with it and draw from its strength."

Venus stared at the sword as it laid in her hands, slowly moving to grip the handle and hold it up high. The guards watched curiously as their rulers did the private ceremony, taking in as many details as possible so that they could tell their families later how brave their young princess looked when she held the sword aloft.

"Come now Venus, let's get you ready for your journey." Queen Venus led her daughter to the transportation room, offering her a small bag. "I've asked the chefs to pack your favorite foods, hankies, and your brush set with your mirror." The princess looked as if she might cry again, tears forming but not dropping. Her mother opened her arms and Venus ran into them, holding onto her tightly and sniffling. "Don't cry, Cricket, this threat will pass and you will be able to return to us soon."

Venus pulled back and nodded, wiping her eyes. "I'll miss you, mother."

"Good luck, my dear."

Venus took the bag and sword before turning, taking in a deep breath and stepping into the transporter. In a heartbeat she was floating through the stars, further away from her palace and kingdom below. She let out a sigh, looking for the small white orb where the Moon people lived. She was only sixteen, what good would she do protecting a princess?

On the surface of the Moon Kingdom, a small crowd waited for the last arrival. A girl with a long white dress on, her hair styled into two buns, the lengthy locks flowing to her ankles, a blue haired girl in a blue sailor suit, a brown haired girl in a green and pink suit, and a raven haired female in a red and purple suit made up the first row. Two cats, one black with red eyes, the other white with blue, sat on either side of the girl in white. The queen, some palace knights, and a few other people of the kingdom stood by watching, waiting.

An orange bubble floated down slowly, landing in front of the princess and glowing brightly before it disappeared in a small *pop!*. Standing where the bubble had been was Venus, her long blonde hair falling to her thighs, dressed in her ceremony robes. She looked around at the people there and blushed, looking alarmed.

"Ah, you must be the princess! And the other scouts! And the Queen of the Moon!" She pointed at each person there who she recognized, looking surprised and embarrassed. "And I'm in my robes, what do I do!"

"Hush Venus, it's alright." Queen Serenity smiled at the teenaged warrior and tilted her head slightly. Princess Serenity smiled and giggled, stepping up to Venus and taking her hand.

"Hello, I'm Princess Serenity, it's nice to meet you, Venus!"

Venus stared at the princess. _She's so young looking_, she thought. The princess couldn't have been more than fourteen, but there was an innocence about her that made Venus smile in return.

"So you're the leader of the Sailors?" The raven haired girl stared at Venus with what seemed to be a glare, sizing her up and crossing her arms. Venus took a step back, warily looking the female over as well.

"Be nice Mars, Venus is here to help!" The green clad, brown haired girl gave Mars a flick on the ear, making the snobby girl jump and lash out quickly.

"Now girls," Queen Serenity started, looking at the scouts and then at her daughter. "You all are new to each other, and four of you arrived today. I'm going to put you all in the same apartments, alright? Each of you will have your own room, but they will be in a vague sort of circle. You'll all have the same common area though. Serenity, do you want to show the Sailors to their rooms?"

"Yes Momma." Serenity smiled brightly at Venus and turned, her multi-layered dress flowing out around her as she floated down the hallway, leaving the room. No one moved after her, so Venus followed, Jupiter and Mars after her, and Mercury last, looking at a book.

"You'll like it here Venus, everyone has. And if you miss your planet just come see me!" She had both the cats at her sides, each one seeming to be looking for something. "Luna? Artemis?"

The black cat perked up, smiling up at the princess. "Nothing Serenity, just guarding you."

The young princess puffed her cheeks out, pouting. "Venus is here for that now!"

Luna looked down, seeming embarrassed. "My apologies, princess. Artemis will be with her while she learns about the palace ways."

Venus looked at the white cat, who was keeping quiet. He turned and looked at Venus, then sighed, looking away. The blonde soldier looked a bit hurt and puffed her cheeks out in a similar way that the moon princess had. Behind her, she could hear Mars snort softly.

"Ah, here we are! Everyone, your room has your name on it." Serenity stood in the common room, a beautiful white and light gold room with a large screen, chairs, a huge couch, large table, and plants in vases adorning the walls and smaller tables. There was a large sky light and fairy lights everywhere in the area. The four soldiers stopped, admiring the room. One wall had a bookshelf with beautiful ivory colored volumes waiting to be read. Before anyone noticed, Mercury had disappeared into her room and quietly closed the door. Serenity smiled and laughed softly.

"She's shy…"

Jupiter laughed softly to herself, the tallest girl in the group. She patted Serenity on the head and smiled at her, seeing "Jupiter" printed in lovely script and went to her room. "I'll see you all at dinner?"

"Food? Of course!" Serenity smiled happily, beaming. Mars stared at her, shocked a princess would like eating. Venus grinned, adding that she couldn't wait.

"Hmph." Mars went into her room, shutting the door quickly before Jupiter did. Venus and Serenity looked at each other and shrugged.

"Want to see your room?" Serenity gestured to the door next to hers, where Venus's name was carved into an ivory plaque. "I hope you like it, I tried to decorate for everyone."

"You did? How thoughtful." Venus smiled at the slightly shorter girl, shifting her bag and opening the door slowly. The first thing she saw was that the room had a large balcony. Going over to it, she set her bag down and stepped onto the landing, gazing at a large garden with a pool of silvery liquid in it. White flowers adorned almost every tree and bush, but pink, yellow, and light shades of other colors weren't uncommon either. "Beautiful…"

"I know; that's my favorite place to be in the palace. The reflection on the pond is so still that you can see the stars." Serenity took a seat on a backless couch, draping herself over the raised armrest. She placed her head on her hands, her eyes closing a bit. "Are you going to miss your home?"

"Probably, but I'll be back when this threat passes, right?" She smiled bravely, then went and set her sword on the wall mount above her king sized bed. The rest of the room was as beautiful as the balcony, with an opening that led to her bathroom, a desk, bookshelf, and more fairy lights. The gossamer curtains that hung over her bed were tinted orange, as was the marble that made up the room.

"I hope you like it here." Serenity smiled warmly at Venus and she felt her heart give out to the young princess.

"Me too. Thank goodness I didn't have a suitor back home." Venus grinned and Serenity smiled, laughing softly. "You don't have any suitors, do you?"

"Hnnnngh… Nu-uh." Serenity shook her head quickly, which made Venus stare at her playfully and curiously. "Weeeeell…" The princess sat up and Venus perched on her bed, listening as the teenager talked about the midnight colored, black armor wearing boy she had met at one of the council meetings between Earth and the Moon. "He had to have been from Earth, no one here has hair that's such a color… Well, Mars now, but…" She pouted. "I hope we'll all get along."

"Give them time," Venus said, stroking Serenity's long hair. "They just need time to adjust to being here." At least, that's what I hope, she thought.

When Serenity left, Venus unpacked her bag. There were a few clothes in there for formal occasions, her favorite sweets, and an orange diary. She set the book on her shelf, put the cookies on the nightstand next to the bed, and changed into her night gown. After setting her brush, hand mirror, comb, and ribbons on the vanity dresser, she hung up her dresses and went to bed. She was scared of not doing a good job, but she knew she'd have to do her best. And how hard would it be to watch a fourteen year old princess?

A/N: Who's excited about the new Sailor Moon that's coming out in 2013? I am! I wanted to write about the moon kingdom for ages and my favorite scout is Venus, who I want to focus on. I hope you all like this chapter!


	2. ITLAPD

Venus woke up in the middle of the night, groaning. She had the most terrible dream! Rubbing at her temples, the princess tried to recall exactly what happened.

In the morning she heard a sound like a cannon and grabbed her tricorn, half-falling out of her hammock and crashing to the floor. She scrambled up, took her pistols, and ran out of the room, swaying on the ship that was beneath her feet.

"Ahoy Captain Moon, whar be the bilge rats?"

"Stuff it First Mate Venus, we're all here."

Venus turned to see the Chef Jupiter, the Navigator Mercury, and the Quartermaster Mars. Each was dressed in scraggly clothes like hers, but each had their own color preference.

Venus wore a burnt orange tricorn hat with her blonde hair half tied under it. Gold adorned her left ear, neck, and fingers. Faded leather bracers protected her wrists, and a fraying yellowed shirt hung from her torso, a short sun-bleached vest on her chest. Tight pants encased her legs, and leather boots kept her feet dry one day out of the week. A white parrot perched on her shoulder and two belts held pistols around her waist.

Captain Moon had on a tricorn with a large white feather in it, lacey top with an open carvat, a naval captain's faded overcoat on, pearls in her ears, a ripped skirt over leggings, and tall boots on her feet. The colors varied from what seemed to be blue to red to white. A black parrot sat on the wheel in front of her.

Below Venus Mars had a lot of red leather and a bandanna on, a muslin shirt that was surprisingly white, but ripped on the arms. Mercury wore loose blue clothing, a long thick vest coming to her waist, a small knife on one side of her belt, a pistol on the other. Jupiter's green clothes were nicer looking, but had a lot of stains from the food sloshing around. Her hair was pulled back off her face and she wore earrings, but nothing else.

"What attacked us, Cap'n?" Venus stood on the stairs, her parrot Artemis squaking about an attack.

"Admiral Endymion, Venus. He's finally caught up to us!"

Venus looked across the way and saw that the Navy Admiral was standing on his ship, gesturing towards the female pirates. Venus grinned, a scar on her jaw reminding her of someone else on the HRH Earth. She saw him, standing tall with silver hair that was too silky to be held back, a frown on his face, tanned skin and blue eyes searching for the woman. They stared at each other and scowled, then smirked, both having been wanting to see each other for a while now.

"General Kunzite, looking for a new scar?" She waved and made a gesture along his face, where she had caught him with a sword last time and nearly took his eye out.

"Only if I can give you another one." He tapped his chin, reminding Venus that he had been the one to deal the blow that gave her a true taste of fighting.

"Kunzite, take the others and make sure we sink the Moon Kingdom this time." Admiral Endymion frowned at Captain Moon, who was lounging against the wheel, looking almost bored. Venus knew better though and covered a laugh.

"Alright then, let's attack!" She whistled and the rest of the crew went to the cannons or grabbed their weapons, each one prepared to fight for their ship and the chance to hack at some Naval officers.

"Prepare to be boarded," Mars called, wielding a pistol and swinging onto the ship with a rope. Soon Venus, Mercury, and Jupiter had joined her. The four faced off with the generals, each one paired with another. Venus led the attack and went right for Kunzite, a concealed whip as her first weapon. He had a sword and she kept him at bay, cracking at his feet before she took a shot for his shoulder. He wrapped his sword around her whip as it came for him and pulled it close, cutting through most of it before he grabbed Venus by the wrist.

Kunzite whispered close to Venus' ear, smirking. "Shouldn't we be the ones saying prepare to be boarded?" Venus blushed, taking out a pistol and pointing it at his chest. Kunzite released her, giving her an opening. "Going to shoot me finally, Venus? Or did you forget what happened last time?" Venus flushed crimson, remembering all too well. "Let me remind you…" He grabbed her wrists, lowering the gun and firmly planting his lips on hers, distracting the pirate from her kill.

It was, sadly, interrupted. A shrill shriek pulled Venus away and she gasped, flushing again. "I will kill you, Kunzite!"

"I'd like to see you try!"

Venus turned and saw her captain swinging slowly back and forth on a rope, looking at the ships. Feeling bad for her, Endymion picked her up and set her down, sighing. "Hopeless," Venus thought he muttered, staring at Captain Moon with the eyes of a longing man. The captain stared back at him, blushing a light shade.

"Huh. You know, if you all would just give up pirating, we could all…"

"Never, we have to forever sail the seas, your country is trying to destroy ours!"

Kunzite scowled, trailing a finger over Venus' jaw. "If we weren't fighting I would have given you something much better than a scar."

Venus blushed, then dashed off and grabbed her Captain, swinging them both back to the safety of their ship. Mars, Mercury, and Jupiter, who were between fighting the Naval officers and kissing them, all returned to the ship.

"Did we get any booty, Venus?"

Venus smiled over at Kunzite, nodding. "Aye, Cap'n." She reached into the folds of her shirt and pulled out a pistol and a few golden trinkets that were now missing from Kunzite's uniform. "They'll be after us again soon though, so let's get on with it!"

Mercury charted the course and Captain Moon let her steer the ship, staring wistfully after Admiral Endymion and his ship. Venus stepped up next to her, placing a hand on the pirate's shoulder.

"If only we had been born in the same country…"

Venus nodded, looking for Kunzite among the crew. She saw a glint of silver and her heart sped up. "Well… Maybe they'll stop chasing us one day and give up."

"I hope that never happens," Moon mumbled. "It's better to be chased forever and in a war with the man I love than to be forgotten and ignored."

Venus nodded, watching the sun slowly set.

Venus groaned, rubbing at her head. "Gosh, what a stupid dream." She looked over at a calendar and studied the date. September 19th. Why did that date remind her of her dream?

A/N: Happy International Talk Like A Pirate Day! This chapter is purely dedicated to this holiday and has nothing whatsoever to do with the story. I just wanted to celebrate and thought this would be a cute way to do it.


	3. Chapter 2

Venus yawned, stretching her arms up over her head and arching her back. She had slept awfully well, the bed soft and as comfortable as a cloud. The leader looked around the room slowly, admiring the walls and once more wondering just how hard it'd be to watch after a fourteen year old princess. She got up, slowly, and eyed her discarded clothes and laces that made up her ceremonial robes. She smiled, but stopped when she saw a white cat sitting up and staring at her with a gaze that almost seemed to be loathing.

"You're… Artemis, right?"

"And you're Sailor Venus, heir to the Venus throne. How… appropriate." He frowned, ears lowering a bit.

"I'm sorry?"

"The Venus women. Vain, self-centered, lazy, so focused on their love lives and the love lives of those around them that they rarely recognize the dangers they put everyone in. I am Artemis, your partner, trainer, coach, what have you. And I do not like you."

Venus swallowed, her happy mood gone as she looked at the tiny terror that was probably only three pounds heavy and more intimidating than her mother.

"Well… I don't like you either! I'm not a cat person." Venus stuck out her tongue and stood, brushing her pale golden pajamas off before she grabbed her uniform and went into the bathroom.

Artemis sighed, looking annoyed as he sat on the chair and waited for the teenager to get ready. And from his experiences with Princess Serenity, it could be a while.

Venus stood in the bathroom, looking at her uniform. Specifically crafted for her, it had the standard colors with the modern touches that the Council decided all the girls would enjoy. Short skirts, arm length gloves, large bows, and specialized shoes and other gadgets for each female. She slid the uniform on, then the gloves, followed by the shoes and finally, the cute tiara that she slid under her hair. The orange gem glinted in the bathroom light as she adjusted the red ribbon in her hair. Staring at the mirror, she examined her facial features and began to mutter to herself.

"Stupid cat… not my partner… Wish I could have make up… Policies… Oooh, earrings." Venus perked up at the studs and slipped them into her pierced lobes, humming and applying gloss and hints of mascara. She finished getting ready, fluffed her hair up, then opened the door and stepped back into her room. Hanging up under her sword was a gold chain with links made up of hearts and little gems, the suddenness of its arrival making her look around. Artemis was still sitting there, but he wasn't looking at his new ward. He was staring out the window, looking wistful.

"Took you long enough," he muttered. Venus looked at him for a long moment, but he didn't return the gaze. "The Queen will want to see you all before dinner. The rest of the girls are in the common room."

Venus shifted, looking a bit uncomfortable, but then left the cat there and walked out to see the Princess sitting quietly with Luna on her lap, watching Mercury read, Mars meditate and look annoyed while doing so, and Jupiter gaze out one of the windows.

"Good morning everyone," Venus said cheerfully. Everyone jumped and looked at her, expressions of surprise, warmth, nervousness, and anger greeting her.

"Venus! How did you sleep?" Princess Serenity toyed with a strand of hair nervously, looking around to see that none of the other girls were talking to the newest arrival.

"Really well, your beds are so comfortable." Venus sat down on the chair next to Serenity's, stretching her legs out and leaning her head back. "So… have you all been waiting for me?"

"Yes, because how could we do anything without our _leader_?" Mars scowled, standing up and walking down the hall that led away from their rooms.

"She wanted to be the leader of the scouts but can't because it's your family's job to do that," Mercury said, sighing and turning the page. "She just thinks you're a bad role model."

Venus flushed a dark shade of pink, looking surprised. The way Mercury spoke was like a robot, all facts and no emotions. Jupiter tried to stifle a snort of laughter, but Mercury raised a brow at her and waited for her to speak.

"You talk like a dictionary. All facts and no opinions. Or tact."

Mercury looked a bit annoyed and closed her book. "A dictionary defines words, an encyclopedia is a book of facts." This time it was Jupiter's turn to blush.

"Hey now, let's not fight," Venus shifted and smiled nervously, trying to figure out how to ease the tension. "Let's talk about… uh… boys. Princess, do you know where we could meet some boys?"

"A leader has no time to worry about boys. None of you do." Artemis had appeared on the coffee table and looked annoyed again, glaring at Venus. "There will be training this afternoon, so I recommend you all eat before it starts." He looked at Luna and Serenity, sitting so peacefully together, so in sync, then bristled and stalked off.

"He'll be fine," Luna said, hopping off of Serenity's lap. "Let's go eat."

Serenity jumped up and looked excited, bouncing slightly. Venus stood next, then Jupiter, and finally Mercury got up, set her book down, and followed as well. They all walked to the dining room, Venus next to Serenity, Mercury and Jupiter behind them. Luna led them all, keeping as silent as the rest of them.

The room was large and lavishly set with many dishes, one raven haired, red clad teenager sitting and sipping at tea. Serenity grabbed some buns and milk, sitting down at one of the empty chairs. Mercury sat near Mars and ate bread, Venus grabbed a bunch of stuff and sat to Serenity's right, and Jupiter took at least one of everything and sat down near the blondes, the three of them soon talking about food and their favorites, specialties, and hopes for future meals. Mars and Mercury sat in companionable silence, each eating like a lady and choosing to not participate in the conversation or make one of their own. Artemis and Luna were at the far end of the table, seeming to talk amongst themselves and argue.

"So, while they're busy," Jupiter started, smiling, "are there any ways to meet guys here?"

Serenity blushed, toying with a long strand of hair. "Well, I mean, there are…" She swallowed. "Actually, the Prince from Earth is here with his Generals. They're on a routine visit."

"Routine? How long will they stay?" Venus seemed quite perky all of a sudden, the warm bun that was about to be devoured hovering before her mouth.

"Ummm… I think a week? We'll be having a ball the night before they leave." Serenity twisted her stand of hair around her finger, thinking about it. "Would you like to meet them?"

"Of course!" Jupiter smirked, stabbing a pastry and eating it. "Where are they?"

Mars glared at the three girls, but kept sipping her tea. Serenity stood and walked with her head held high, Venus and Jupiter following suit. Luna and Artemis didn't even notice because they were so absorbed in their discussion. Mercury looked up, sighed, and then went back to her food.

Serenity walked quickly, Venus on her right and Jupiter the left, all three trying to keep straight faces. The only one who was doing a good job was Serenity, while Venus grinned excitedly and Jupiter scowled a bit, nervous. The Princess brought them to the very still lake on the palace grounds, a small clearing revealing five men in various stages of sitting and standing.

"Endymion!" Serenity ran into the arms of the raven haired man who was garbed in a black tunic and sitting down. He reached up and grasped Serenity's upper arms, holding her gently before he stood and kissed her cheek.

"Hello Princess," he said softly, hugging her. "You've brought friends today."

"These are my guards, Venus and Jupiter. Well, two of them anyway. Mars and Mercury are busy with other things." Serenity smiled before she took a seat with him. Venus looked at the men that were there. One with light auburn hair tied at the nape of his neck, delicate and feminine features seeming a bit out of place. Dark chestnut hair on another, very tall man who looked like he never smiled. He glared at the feminine male, who returned the look. A male with short blonde hair was having a conversation with the leader of the group, a cape wearing pillar of strength that had long silver hair and steel blue eyes. While he was talking he looked at Venus and she flushed a dark shade, eyes widening.

"So… your names are…" Venus fidgeted, swallowing. She was looking at the man with the silver hair and he smiled slyly, as if he knew she was attracted to him. He shifted, clearing his throat.

"My name is Kunzite. This is Jadeite," He gestured to the blonde haired male, "Zoicite," A wave of the hand to the feminine youth, "And Nephrite." He nodded to the man with brown tresses. "We are the generals for Endymion. And you two are…"

"I'm Venus," the blonde warrior said, grinning foolishly. "And this is Jupiter." The brown haired girl stared at Nephrite, who was kind of glaring at her and then looking away. "We just arrived at the Moon Kingdom. You're on a routine visit?"

"Yes… And you already know about this little hideaway. The princess must be trusting." Kunzite smiled at Serenity, who blushed, holding Endymion's hand. "Well, leader to leader, we will probably be working together. It's a pleasure." The silver haired man offered a hand and Venus took it, surprised by the sudden movement as he lifted her hand and pressed his lips firmly to the base of her palm. "Welcome to the Moon Kingdom."

A/N: Hooray, an update! Sorry it took a while, life is kind of hectic here. Still. Also, it's been a long time since I read/watched Sailor Moon closely, and I guess I was calling Nephrite Malachite. …Too many names! Hopefully I got it right this time.


	4. Chapter 3

"Venus, is your head in the clouds? Dodge the balls, don't step in for a greeting!"  
Artemis bristled as he sat behind the contraption that was throwing balls randomly at the leader of the soldiers, her team standing around the elegantly clad princess. He glared at the girl, who seemed to be flushed and distracted as she moved around, appearing to be swimming in slow motion. His voice snapped her out of it for a moment though.  
"You're just trying to hit me you dumb cat!"  
"Venus!"  
The leader stopped, flushing a dark shade. Luna sat on Serenity's lap, staring at her and frowning. "Artemis is your partner; you must try to treat him as if he has been alongside you forever. He's training you, so please don't act like an inexperienced fighter. You _have_ been training, haven't you?"  
Pursing her lips, Venus nodded, not appreciating the scolding she was getting from the black cat.  
Artemis started the machine up again, and finally focused, Venus dodged the balls, becoming comfortable with their speed. Once she could dodge everything that came at her, she drew her chain and began to hit them back, annoying Artemis as he began to duck and shift to avoid getting hit.  
Serenity sat quietly for the most part, but she giggled as Venus began to smile and enjoy the activity. Finally her partner called for the next girl and Mars took her place, glaring at her leader.  
"Boys on your mind?" She took a defensive stance, waiting for Artemis to start and for Venus to go back to the others. Mars dodged ten balls or so before she began to throw fireballs at them, making them explode before they got too close. While she was making little explosives, she thought about her childhood. Her mother had the same attitude as she did, a spiteful attitude towards the leaders of Venus, the head of the Soldiers that were specifically assigned to, and the favorite of the Moon Kingdom, while those descendants from Mars were called hot headed and generally ignored by everyone. The Mars women could lead, they could be the ones to organize everyone, and they _deserved _the respect that the self-centered Venus women got!  
Venus swallowed, feeling that Mars was blasting the rubber balls apart with a lot of aggression. Serenity cleared her throat softly, looking down at Luna and stroking her spine gently. Jupiter let out a low whistle, and Mercury stared blankly at the training.  
"Alright Mars, alright. Enough destroying the balls; switch with Mercury."  
Mars stomped off the training field and stood next to Jupiter, glowering at the red bow that Venus had in her hair. The green clad warrior took a step away from the raven haired girl, laughing nervously. "So when's dinner?" Her laughter died when Mars turned her fiery gaze upwards and she sighed, falling silent.  
Mercury moved as little as possible, her eyes narrowed as she calculated where Artemis was shooting the rubber orbs. She froze them and surrounded herself with fog, making the whole place misty and hard to see. While everything was foggy and misty, Venus felt a light touch on her wrist. She jumped, her eyes widening when she saw a glint of silver and a smear of grey. A finger raised to closed lips and a smile formed on the sixteen year old mouth. She let her hand be lifted up to his mouth and felt another kiss on her palm before she felt his absence and sighed. Leave it to a boy to make her so confused.  
When the fog lifted, Venus, Serenity, and Jupiter all looked rather flushed. Mars still looked mad, and Mercury went back to the princess's side so that the last soldier could start her training. Serenity watched it and sighed, looking down at Luna with a complex expression on her face. Venus saw the lowered head and laid a delicate hand on her shoulder, giving her a reassuring squeeze.  
Jupiter's training went normally. She dodged, returned the rubber balls, and laughed a few times as she moved. She saw it as an exercise and truly enjoyed it, which made Artemis relax. There were at least two soldiers who were competent and good at the training.  
After the training concluded Luna brought the girls to Queen Serenity, who was sitting on her throne and waiting patiently for them. Venus stopped for half a step to admire the ruler of the kingdom, her silvery purple hair cascading down onto the marble floor. She was so beautiful, so regal… She felt a rush of respect for the woman and almost felt guilty that she was so childish.  
"Serenity, Venus, Jupiter, Mercury, and Mars. The five of you are living together, but four of you are new and haven't been told all the rules yet." Serenity cleared her throat, smiling. "Your responsibility is to Princess Serenity. She is training to rule and there is a threat that is coming towards us. I need you all to be on guard and to be alert. Luna is always with Serenity," The Queen nodded at the cat, who nodded back and puffed up a bit, "And Artemis will stay with Venus. Venus, you will need the most training and Artemis will be able to help you with that." Artemis lowered his head, appearing modest and humble, but Luna could see his tense posture. He didn't want to train Venus and she knew it. "Mercury, Mars, and Jupiter, you all will be training for an hour every day. When the Generals are on their routine visits you all will be training with them, and when they aren't, Artemis will be guiding you four with singular and group exercises."  
Serenity pouted and nodded while the Queen told them about uniform expectations, when meals were served, how to get things they wanted, such as supplies, and about balls that were held for holidays and special occasions. When they were dismissed dinner was being served. The generals, Endymion, and other nobles were at the table. Venus sat next to Serenity, who was seated beside Endymion. Kunzite was reclining in his chair on the other side of the blonde girl.  
It didn't look like his mouth was moving, but Kunzite's voice drifted over Venus's ear. "Would you like to meet me later on, Princess?"  
Venus looked down at her plate and tried to hide a smile, lashes fluttering. "Where?"  
"The pond with the clearing, at say, one in the morning?"  
"Not midnight?" Venus smiled, having a little laugh.  
"The other couple will be meeting then." This time Kunzite smirked, raising a brow. Venus raised one in return, noticing the very slight tilt of the man's head towards the Prince and Princess that was to her left.  
"Well alright then. I'll be there if you will be."  
Kunzite smiled as he sipped at his drink, watching Venus out of the corner of his eye. The meal continued with Serenity asking Endymion about Earth, Mercury and Zoicite having a tense debate about book training versus real experience, Mars and Jadeite glaring at each other silently, and Jupiter looking at her plate while Nephrite tried to make it less obvious that he was sneaking glances at the tallest girl.  
After dinner the girls were dismissed and allowed to go back to their rooms or walk around the palace. Serenity and Venus walked silently to the common room, sitting in two of the large chairs. Luna was talking somewhere with Artemis, Mars and Mercury were sitting in the library reading, and Jupiter was trying to get into the kitchen to help with the cooking.  
"So… is everything alright?" Venus stretched her legs out, flexing her toes. "You seem kind of upset."  
Serenity shook her head, sighing. "It's just… You all are so great, so grand, so strong. My mother is so grateful that you all are here, so proud that she has you all guarding me, and I want to be as great as the rest of you."  
"Wh.. what?" Venus sat up straight, looking at the princess.  
"Guards for the royal family, completely dedicated to me… What did I do to deserve your protection? I was born a princess, but I feel so helpless, like a doll."  
"But you're going to be a leader, head of the Council when you take the throne. That's so much power, so much good you can do-"  
"But I can't help any of you." Serenity lowered her head, her face flushing as her eyes welled up with tears. "I want to train with the soldiers too!"

Venus stared at her charge. How could she convince Serenity that it'd just be too dangerous?

"The Silver Crystal... It could help me, it works miracles, Mother told me so!"

Venus cleared her throat, smiling. "But Princess Serenity, there are so many other things to think about, like how to make your people happy, Endymion, what great clothes you'll have when you rule..."

Serenity pouted, muttering softly, "I hate having the same name as all the other women of this family."

Fidgeting, the soldier licked her lips. "Well, why don't we call you something else then?"

The princess looked up, hopeful. "Really? Like what?"

"What about... Sere." Venus poked her index fingers together, looking nervous. She had never tried to come up with a nickname before and wasn't sure that what she said would be any good.

"That's really cute," the princess muttered. "Sere... Sere... I like it!"

Beaming, Venus nodded. "Then from now on I'll call you Sere!"

Relaxed, Sere played with her hair and talked to Venus about how to sneak out of the palace to meet their dates by the pond.

A/N: I hope everyone likes this chapter, I'm probably going to update as often as possible so I don't have to think about the problems in my life right now. Next up is a sweet romance?


	5. Chapter 4

Venus began with her hair. She pulled it up, put it down, braided it into two, tied it in a bun… She sighed, going through at least twenty different hair styles. Sere came and helped her for a while too, until they finally decided that a long braid with loose strands falling over her shoulders and back was mature, pretty, and workable. She had a couple dresses in her luggage and a few casual outfits, but she never thought she'd be able to use any of them. She found a knee length tunic made from light golden material, the shoulders almost falling down onto her arms, but just barely staying up. She tied a burnt orange sash around her waist, found soft leather boots, and put tiny amounts of gold hints on her eyes and lips. Slipping tiny golden hoops into her ears, the warrior walked stealthily down a hidden passageway that was put there in case they had to escape quietly, but was now being used for an after midnight rendezvous.

Kunzite was sitting with a book at the beautifully carved table, his long legs stretched out in front of him, his cape off his general's uniform, but he still looked so handsome it made her knees weak.

"Ah, the leader of the sailor soldiers… Hello Venus." Kunzite stood, smiling and walking to the curvaceous beauty. He took her hand, kissing her fingertips and palm. "I'm surprised you actually came."

"What do you mean?" Venus felt herself blushing as he greeted her, not sure how to act around this man. He was a head and a half taller than her, his silver hair fell over his shoulders, and his eyes, oh his eyes… She bit her lip, staring up into his eyes, watching him smirk.

"The people of the Moon are so proud, so uppity… so… distant. When the Prince and the Princess started to see each other secretly, I was surprised. Happy for my Prince, but surprised…" Kunzite brought Venus to the table and pulled the chair out for her, letting her sit before he pushed it in. He sat down and magically produced tea when he told Venus to look at the Earth overhead of them. Well, it had been hidden on a small tray behind him, but he'd let Venus think he magick'd it up. "And you, freshly arrived here, agreeing to meet me, breaking at least two rules, and possibly messing up all favor you were going to curry protecting your Princess."

Venus rested her hands on the table, sliding a finger slowly over the lip of the cup, watching the steaming brew and gazing into her date's eyes through the hot mist. "Well, Venus women are nice and warm and usually always happy. But I have received training to be the leader of the soldiers. I… uh… Wait, favor? What do you mean?"

Kunzite chuckled, leaning close to Venus and saying softly, "All Venus leaders have been the favorite of the Moon royals. They're bright, happy, beautiful, favored women of the Moon's court. Fearless leaders when they are in battle, the best dancers at the balls…" He leaned back, gazing up at the stars. "You should be protecting the Princess, wearing your uniform, not leaving your room at a nightly hour, no meeting a man… Did the Queen tell you that until you retire, you will be unable to have a spouse or lover of any kind, because your duty is to your charge?"

Venus looked a bit dumb, staring quietly at the silver haired man. "No lovers? That… I must've not heard…" She sighed, looking down at her cup and pouting a bit. Who knew how long it would be until she would retire? And she had to put everything she might want before herself because she was watching a Princess who was secretly meeting the Prince of their neighboring planet? Another sigh escaped her lips and she lifted her cup to sip at her tea. "But you asked me to come here anyway."

Kunzite cleared his throat, smiling faintly. "Well, I find you attractive of course." He drank his tea slowly, closing his eyes and letting a slow breath out. "And Endymion does not have a problem with one of his Generals taking a lover; he thinks it gives us something to fight for."

Color flooded the teenager's cheeks and she grinned, biting her lower lip. He had called her attractive! Living in the palace, everyone said she was pretty, but no one had ever said anything like they were attracted to her. She felt butterflies as she enjoyed her tea with Kunzite and turned things to a different, better topic.

"Well… uh… How old are you?"

"I'm twenty-two," he replied, stretching his legs out again.

"And how long have you served the Prince?"

"Hmmm… Six years."

"And… your lovers…?"

"None. I was more focused on work than finding a girl. I was in the rush of battle, the thrill of charging at people and fighting. Of course I fight with the other generals a lot as well."

"Why?"

"Well, Nephrite is so quiet and stiff I want to punch him sometimes, Jadeite is the newest to the generals, and the youngest, so he's insanely eager to prove himself. It's a bit annoying, but he has spirit. And Zoicite spends about as much time on his hair as a woman. It's infuriating, actually…"

"Your hair is very…"

"My hair is easy to maintain. Wash it, let it dry. Run a comb through it before leaving." He smirked, looking at her hair. "Your hair must be a nightmare."

Venus touched the bangs that fell around her eyes, and then her braid. She smiled, biting her lower lip and giggling. "I love taking care of my hair. Washing it, conditioning it, combing it, brushing it…" She sighed softly. "It's the best when someone else brushes my hair though."

"Really? I'll have to remember that."

Venus yawned, covering her mouth. Kunzite stood, offering his hand to the golden clad princess. "Dance with me," he muttered, pulling her up and spinning her around. She laughed and stumbled a bit, but the tall man gently brought her into the steps, twirling her about the hidden meeting place. When the dance ended, Kunzite held Venus pressed up against him, one arm against her lower back, the other stretched out, fingers laced with hers. "You're not so graceful on your feet… But would you like to be my partner for the ball?"

Venus swallowed, staring up at Kunzite. His partner for the ball? It made her feel all gooey inside. "Y-yes!" She grinned, face flushed as she nearly stood on her toes, almost trying to get closer to him.

Kunzite looked at Venus and tilted his head, sliding a hand up and over her jaw, gently pushing her head back as he leaned down slowly, closing his eyes and pressing his mouth to hers. Venus closed her eyes, enjoying the moment and pushing up against his lips, squeezing his upper arms gently. When Kuzite pulled away, he had a light tint of pink on his cheek bones. He cleared his throat and muttered, "I'll see you Friday evening."

Venus left first, inching back to her room. The passageway went to the common area the girls all shared and she entered, flushed and happy, bubbling up with the desire to scream. She spun around on her toes, positively bouncing with delight.

"Have fun on your secret date?"

Venus covered her mouth to keep from shouting. Artemis sat on a chair, staring at her. Venus swallowed, shaking a bit. "What?"

"Your date. I came in to check on you and you weren't in your bed. And then I heard laughter and began to look around. You were with that General, Kunzite." He did not sound happy and Venus pouted, shaking her head slowly, about to talk. "No, don't say anything. You think I'm just a cat, that I'm just…" He sighed. After a moment he stared up at the Earth out of the sky window, and then closed his eyes. The light that bathed the cat grew brighter and brighter, until Venus had to look away. When it faded away Venus turned back to look for the cat, but a tall man with white hair, blue eyes, and a crescent moon on his forehead stared at her. "I am Artemis, partner to the leader of the Sailor Soldiers, Guardian of the Venus heir. And you… You are nothing like your mother." He turned and stalked off, looking annoyed.

Venus swallowed, covering her mouth. Why… why was that cat so good looking as a man?!

A/N: Yay, chapter four! Venus and Kunzite, sitting in a glade, d-a-n-c-i-n-g! First comes a date, then comes a ball, then comes Kunzite with a calling card! …Yes I'm weird. And I suck at rhyming. But have you ever noticed that the men Venus likes or is partnered up with all look similar? Long, light colored hair, blue eyes, tall, angular… Artemis as a human, Kunzite, and that guy from Sailor V, the delinquent type. Next chapter's the ball, I can't wait! Hooray! Also, I'm on the Coast in RI, so I'm watching for Hurricane Sandy. I'll be working on the next chapter during it and have about half of it finished!


	6. Chapter 5

Stretching, Venus tried to not look so tired during training that day. Artemis made everything more difficult and he threw the balls harder and faster at his ward. Luna and Sere watched curiously, Mars smirked, Jupiter looked a little worried, and Mercury, as always, looked disinterested.

After practice, Sere began to give them a proper tour of the palace. Venus walked up next to Princess Sere, both quiet but smiling. Artemis walked alongside to Luna, helping with the tour. It was long, boring, and Venus barely paid any attention. Once it was done Sere and Venus went into the Moon Princess's room, the two sitting in comfortable chairs and brushing each other's hair.

"So how was your date with Endymion last night?"

"Wonderful, as usual. He asked me to partner him at the ball. And he kissed me!" Sere bit her lip, blushing a dark shade. "He kissed me…"

"Congrats Sere!" Venus took her time brushing her charge's hair, thinking about the date she had with the leader of the generals last night. "I… I met with Kunzite."

"Really? Do leaders always pair up?"

"Do royals?" Venus stuck out her tongue, laughing when Sere blushed. "It was nice. We danced, we talked… we… we kissed…"

"Really?! Yay Venus, we can double date!"

The orange princess choked on her breath, snorting and coughing. "Oh, uh… I don't think…"

"Please Venus?" Sere pouted and Venus sighed, giving in. "Yay! There's going to be a visit for us to Earth one of these days. My mother makes them normally but she said I'm old enough to go with my guards."

"That's great, Sere." Venus began to do the Moon Princess's hair, tying it up into little balls and letting the rest flow over her shoulders. "When are you supposed to go?"

"In three months, after the Prince goes back."

Venus nodded, feeling a bit awkward as Sere brushed her hair. It was weird, having a girl younger than her brush her hair. "So this ball…"

"It's great, right? We always have one when the Earthlings visit." Sere sighed contently. "I want to marry Endymion."

"Wh…what? Really?"

"Yes. I love him. My mother has started to line up suitors, but I've met them all. None of them are interesting. They're all as quiet and cold as the rest of the people here. All so distant, all so… perfect…"

Venus sighed. She had met many of the men on Venus. They were all very nice, but not really her type. They all bowed down to her and saw her as better than them. She wondered if Sere had the same problem.

"And Endymion?"

"He's dreamy. His hair is as dark as the deepest space, his eyes are as blue as Earth's seas, and he's so kind and sweet and gentle…" Sere sighed, tying the ribbon into Venus's hair. The two sat silently for a moment before Venus brought up a question.

"Has… Has Luna ever turned into… a human?"

Sere tilted her head, looking at her main guard. "What do you mean?"

"Artemis… he… Last night…" Venus began to explain about when she came back into the common room, the cat getting mad, his sudden change into… well, a human, and every other detail she could think of. Sere thought about it but shook her head.

"I've never seen Luna or Artemis do that… I'm surprised…" Sere sighed, twirling a few strands of hair over her finger. "Well, let's think about that later. The ball is tomorrow!" Perking up and putting it out of her mind, Sere began to babble about dresses and the like.

"Hey… Why do the Earth Prince and his generals visit the Moon?" Venus looked up at the planet and sighed.

"Oh. Um, well, they're not supposed to… See… One day I went down after watching Endymion for so long from the Moon, to see him up close and learn about him, and I got caught… and Luna had to help me out of the mess. And then they started to try and come up here because they felt they were being spied on, and I called Endymion up, and after a couple visits my mother found him, and we decided that if their Prince and his guards could be satisfied with visiting, then…" Sere sighed. "Some people on Earth are jealous of the Moon kingdom because we live so long and so youthfully. This way we can work out a proper peace treaty."

"Oh. So this is an experiment?" Venus smiled. "At least we get to see what men from Earth are like."

"What do you think of them?"

Venus sighed, thinking about it. "They're brave, and handsome, and kind… I like them."

Sere nodded, smiling. "I hope that we can make peace with them."

On Friday in the evening, Venus got dressed in a flowing golden gown. She slid Amber and Topaz clips into her hair before she tied golden ribbons around her neck and arms, then dusted her cheeks with glitter. She went into the common area and looked at the other princesses who were there, waiting.

Each was dressed in the color of their royal house. Mars was wearing a long red dress with a slit up the left side, thin straps, and a gauze shawl draped over her shoulders. A silver choker with deep red stones hung around her neck. Jupiter wore a green dress with small crimps and folds that half clung to her body, half swirled around her feet. Green gems clipped her shoulder straps and kept them still, glinting in the light when she moved. Matching ones kept her hair up on her head. Her height made the slim dress look form fitting yet accented her developing body, giving her the look of a model. Mercury's Blue dress had all the shades imaginable in it, rippling down over her body like waves in the ocean. Her sleeves faded into gossamer, silver bracelets, belts, and a hairband in her hair gave her a shine when the fairy lights floated over her. Serenity was dressed in all white, her dress synched around her chest, multiple layers falling to the floor. She had no sleeves on and the back of her dress dipped down to her lower back, a simple train of white ribbon that started under her synched fabric following the hem of the backing and meeting each other with a loose bow. Her hair had ropes of silver and diamonds, matching ones dotting her arms and shoulders.

It was quite possibly the most awkward group of women Venus had seen, solely because they still knew next to nothing about each other.

"Sere, you look great!"

"Thank you Venus, you look beautiful."

"Hehe, well… yeah." She grinned, sticking out her tongue. "You all look gorgeous."

"Yes, well…" Mars glared at Venus, but she finally stopped and just looked away.

"Thanks! You look perfect," Jupiter grinned, giving the princess of beauty a thumbs up.

Mercury looked over at them, showed a small smile, then went back to staring at the wall.

"Well, we're all ready, so let's go, they'll be expecting us." Serenity began to lead them down the hall, five pairs of heels clicking on the marble floors. They met no one on the way and entered the ball room, all eyes turning to see them.

Venus looked around and almost at once she saw Kunzite standing off with some of his own. He was dressed in black uniform trimmed with silver, his long hair falling over his shoulders. He was drinking something and smirking, talking to Zoicite. The feminine looking male glared at his tall commander, who just chuckled. But when all the heads turned, his did too, and he locked eyes with Venus. He raised his glass and Venus blushed, looking down at her hands. When she managed to look back up, Serenity had already been swept away by Endymion, who wore his uniform, minus the cape and shoulder pads. Venus watched them move about the silvery colored room and various colored dresses, sighing with envy. That was until she turned and Kunzite was standing next to her, smiling down at her.

"You look beautiful," he muttered, offering his hand. Venus took it and they joined the dancing couples on the floor. Venus spun with him and gazed up at him, a light blush on her cheeks. They danced together for a few songs before taking a break, standing off to the side, seeing who was dancing with whom.

"I see all the generals picked a soldier to dance with." Venus giggled, leaning against a pillar and watching for a few minutes. Kunzite joined her, and soon they were both admiring the Prince and Princess as they danced.

"Mmm, and they all look… adorable." Venus giggled, leaning a bit against Kunzite. He leaned back against her and brushed his hand over her arm.

"Would you like to take a walk in the garden?" Kunzite laced his fingers with Venus's, gazing down at her. They both knew they had to watch their royals, and Venus bit her lip.

She was about to respond when everything happened at once.

"So this is how you trick the people of Earth? You lull them into a false sense of security with dances and secret visits?" A woman stood in the middle of the dance floor, dressed in a black top with a golden skirt, brandishing a sword. "Always lording over the people of Earth, spying on us, watching us like gods. And you lull our prince and his generals here for your dumb parties and false promises!" The woman pointed her sword at Queen Serenity while Prince Endymion stood in front of Princess Serenity. Venus squeezed Kunzite's hand, but someone grabbed her free hand. Whipping her head around, she saw a man as tall as Kunzite with long white hair, dressed in silver pants and a matching jacket over his white shirt.

His blue eyes bored into Venus's and he hissed angrily, "Would you do your job and protect your princess?"

Venus let go of Kunzite's hand, stepping back and looking a bit fearful before she took a secret passage. One connected to another and she ran to her room, grabbed the sword that hung on the wall, then bolted back to the ball. The woman's revolt was pathetic, but Mars, Jupiter, and Mercury stood around Princess Serenity, all glaring at the intruder. Venus joined them, holding her sword ready.

Queen Serenity stared at the black haired woman, frowning. "I do not know what you are talking about, but your actions make it very clear: The Moon cannot work with the Earth at this time. Go home, all of you. We will discontinue any connections we have with your planet."

Venus swallowed, watching Kunzite pull Endymion away with the other generals, take the woman's wrist, and leave the ball. Artemis came and stood next to Venus, a neutral expression on his face. She saw Kunzite turn back, but he looked mad. She didn't know why until she looked down and Artemis had his arm around her waist and was leaning in close to her. She didn't even hear what he was saying to her. Jupiter grabbed Serenity and Venus finally jerked back into motion. She put the sword in its sheath and slid it over her shoulder, walking with the girls back to their rooms. A black haired, gold clad woman came up next to Artemis, her bare feet not making a sound on the floor. Everyone except Artemis stared at her curiously. In fact, everyone except Venus and Serenity stared at the both of them.

"So…" Jupiter cleared her throat, looking at the two new people. "Who are you?"

"It's me, Artemis. And this is Luna." He barely gave them a glance as he brought them into the common are and instructed them to sit. They all did, with Serenity in the middle, Venus and Jupiter to her right, Mars and Mercury to the left.

"We have a lot to talk about girls. Firstly, there will be no more communications with Earth. No more late night visits," he glared at Venus then, "No more parties, no more visits, no more anything. If any of you leave Princess Serenity's side, it will be for sleep, in which case Luna will be there instead. There will be more training and stricter policies. As of right now, in this dome, we are isolated from the outside world. No one gets in, no one gets out." He sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Dismissed, Luna and I have to meet with the Queen. Stay in your rooms. Venus… stay with the Princess." Artemis turned and left, Luna following after giving Serenity a pitying look.

Venus looked around at the girls, who were all in their own worlds. Finally she said, softly, "So… we all like the men from Earth?"

There was a shocked silence, but slowly, one by one, all the girls started to laugh, until they were practically on top of each other, unable to help but giggle and hold their sides.

A/N: Aww, what a ball! So far there's no damage to where I am in RI, so hopefully this will be uploaded on the 30th. I hope you all liked this chapter? Who foresees a forbidden visit to Earth in the very near future?


	7. Halloween

Venus stood and stretched her arms over her head, yawning. She was late for practice and Serenity wasn't going to cover for her forever! Slipping on her outfit, the ballerina tiptoed out of her room and went down to practice hall, falling into line with the other girls. Serenity smiled, bending down over her leg and slowly coming back up, leaning against the bar.

"Venus, my mother wasn't going to look the other way for long!" Serenity toyed with a strand of her hair, sighing. "Well at least you're here before our dress rehearsal…"

"I wondered how long I could get away with it. I had a late practice last night."

"With _him_?"

"Yeeeeeees." Venus blushed, soon being bumped by Jupiter. The tall brown haired girl apologized, looking shyly down. "Aw, don't worry about it Jupi, you're still new to this!"

"Ladies, less talking, more dancing." M'me Serenity stood with a cane, her long hair falling almost to the floor. She was the ballet instructor and had been for many years. Her daughter was the leader of their chorus line and little Serenity's best friend was Venus, who lived at the school and had no parents. M'me Serenity loved her though as if she were her own daughter and sought to teach her as such.

"Look out, it's La Beryl." Serenity pulled Venus back and the scarlet haired, pale woman walked by, a pound of make-up on her face and a haughty attitude following her. She was the Prima, the Diva, the one that had everything the girls wanted. She got paid the most to sing, but… No one could really stand her. She stood in the center of the stage and waited. They had all been called out before the performance, not just because it was a rehearsal, but there was an announcement to be had.

The manager stood nearby, wringing his hands. "You all know that there have been many rumors, and I would like to say that I am retiring from the theater and have hired two new managers, Ms'srs Jadeite and Nephrite!" The two new men looked at the girls around them and swallowed, smiling thinly. They made their introductions and asked Beryl to sing.

She began and everyone around her turned away, made faces, or plugged their ears. Serenity and Venus stood by their ballet mistress, cringing with everyone else. In the middle of her singing, a backdrop fell and caught her skirt, knocking her over and landing on top of the diva. She began to throw a fit, and then said that if they could not fix this mistake, she would not sing.

"Please Ms'sr, it wasn't me, this isn't my post- I wasn't here!"

"Well then who was it?"

"There's no one here Ms'sr, or if there was, it must've been a ghost!"

Shrieking about never singing again, Beryl left with her dog and maids. The chorus girls all began to twitter about the Phantom, who chose who succeeded and who failed in their theater. Groaning, the new managers looked at the old manager and he shrugged. "Good luck; if you need me, I shall be in Australia."

"Now what are we going to do?!"

"Is there an understudy?"

"There is no understudy for Beryl!"

"Venus can sing it!" Serenity covered her mouth, blushing. The maestro, Endymion, stared at her a moment longer than was needed before looking to the new managers for their decision.

"A chorus girl?"

"Ridiculous."

"She has been well taught." M'me Serenity tapped her cane and the new managers looked at Venus with unknowing eyes. "Let her sing for you Ms'srs, you will not be disappointed."

"Well… alright. Come along, sing for us."

Venus stood in the center of the stage, looking nervous. Endymion gave her a small smile and she began to relax, opening her mouth to sing. One by one the people around her turned to watch and Venus knew that her training had paid off.

That night she would sing in place of Beryl and she freaked out in her new dressing room. She let the women around her do her make-up and lace her into a dress, barely noticing any of them. Serenity came to see her and wished her well, sitting on her vanity and swinging her legs. "I hear we have a new patron!"

"Really? Who?"

"A… Viscount de Artemis. He's handsome, want to take a look?"

Venus swallowed, but once the people dressing her deemed she was ready for the first act, she nodded. They went to the wings and peeked out, seeing a man with white hair that was tied at the nape of his neck, steel blue eyes, and dressed regally. He saw Venus but didn't pay her much attention, talking to the managers instead. Venus sighed and Serenity patted her shoulder, thinking the new Prima was in love. Venus looked at Serenity, pouting. "It's him…"

"Who?"

"I knew Artemis when we were children. We played together and he was… well, you could say we were childhood sweethearts."

"Oh Venus, that sounds so romantic!"

"Yes, but... Well, look at us now."

"He just didn't recognize you; you're so beautiful!"

Venus smiled and then moved out of the way. It was time for the show to start and she had to sing. She stepped onto the stage and began her part, her voice making everyone pause and watch. The show was a success and Artemis looked particularly interested in the new diva, leaving his seat as everyone stood to applaud her.

There was a knock at her dressing room door and Venus stood to answer it, surprised when the Viscount offered her flowers. "Congratulations on the opera tonight Venus. It's been so long since I saw you!"

"Artemis! I didn't know…" Venus stopped as he leaned into kiss her, but she pulled back. "I can't."

"Why, are you spoken for?"

"No… but my teacher told me to never get involved in such frivolous things as relationships."

"But… Venus… At least join me for dinner! Your teacher can't be so jealous!"

"Artemis I can't!"

"Surely he'll let you out for one night. Come on, I'll go get the horses." And without another word, Artemis left.

As soon as he was gone Venus heard some singing from inside her room. She tilted her head and listened before smiling, looking around and trying to find the source of the music. "Teacher, where are you?"

"Look… I'm in the mirror…" His voice was like a trance and Venus walked slowly to the mirror. There, inside of it, stood a man a head and a half taller than her. His silver hair was slicked back, a white porcelain mask resting on his face. He had a black cape on and leather gloves. With a movement the glass slid aside and he took her wrist, pulling her into a passageway. "Sing for me, my angel."

Venus couldn't help but do what he asked; it was as if he controlled her. But she didn't mind. This was her angel of music, he was her teacher and she was helpless to his wishes. He brought her to an underground lake, rowing her across in a small boat he steered. Candles lit the home of her angel and they sang for a while, until he finally had her stop so she could save her voice.

"Venus, you sang beautifully tonight. I want you to stay with me."

"What? But Angel…"

"Call me Kunzite."

"Kunzite, I can't… How could I stay here with you, below the ground?"

"I love you, my angel. I always will. Please stay. I've had something made for you."

Kunzite brought Venus to a mannequin and let her see the wedding dress he had ordered to be sewn just for her. Venus stared at it, shocked, before fainting. Kunzite brought her to the bed he had set aside for her and went to practice his piano until she woke up, figuring he'd have till morning.

At nearly midnight, Venus woke and looked around. She took soft steps in her white night dress to her angel and listened to him play. It was beautiful and she was captivated by his genius. She slid her hands over his shoulders, making him relax and lean into her touch. She moved her hands up along his neck, over his ears, before slowly, she lifted his mask. Startled and alarmed, Kunzite whipped around and slapped the mask out of the girl's hands. She fell, looking up into his face. Shock, alarm, and fear played over her features. Kunzite glared at her and then stomped up and down, shouting. "You have seen it, and now… now you will stay with me. You will be mine, Venus, and no one else shall have you!"

His rage ebbed after a while and he sat at his organ, head lowered. Venus stood and placed the mask next to him, looking away. He slid the mask on and she bit her lower lip, looking apologetic.

"Let's get you back," he muttered, unable to look at the woman he loved as she took a step back from him.

The next month was tough for Venus. Beryl was trying to get rid of her, Artemis was always vying for her attention, and Kunzite was always angry at her when he wasn't trying to convince her to stay with him. The Theatre had a masquerade and Artemis gave Venus a ring before it, telling her he loved her and they would be married. Venus shook her head, trying to refuse it. During the Masquerade, Venus saw little Serenity dancing with Maestro Endymion. She smiled, admiring them. They had been in love for as long as she could remember, but kept it quiet so as not to draw attention to themselves. The managers had two of the chorus girls with them, and Venus bit her lip. Suddenly the lights went out and a flare started. When it dimmed and the lights were turned back on, Kunzite stood on the steps, glaring at Venus. She looked behind her and there was Artemis, glaring at Kunzite. The girl between them swallowed and looked down. She knew she'd have to choose, but…

"Venus, come with me. Don't let him sway you."

Venus had told Artemis about Kunzite when she was scared and didn't know what to do about him. Artemis stayed by her side, trying to rekindle a flame he had for her, but Venus… wasn't feeling it. Sure Artemis was wealthy, handsome, and important, her childhood sweetheart, but… Kunzite… She sighed, toying with a strand of her hair. She couldn't describe what Kunzite made her feel, and even though he was intimidating, she knew that he was like her drug and she was an addict. It was wrong, but… she didn't want to stop.

"Venus, come to me." Kunzite held out his hand and Venus stared at it, debating between them. Who would she choose? Who should she choose? With an almost apologetic look to Artemis, she moved away from him and walked to the stairs. She took the hand Kunzite held out for her and stared up at him, blushing as he leaned down and pressed a kiss to her mouth. "Good girl. Now, let's give these stuffy folks something to really talk about." Kunzite put a hand to the small of her back and swept her off her feet, jumping from the stairs and…

Venus woke up, groaning. She was tangled in her sheets and covered in sweat, cheeks flushed and heart pounding. This… She hated her dreams; she was never going to skim books she found in the palace again!

A/N: Who can botch a story? I can. This chapter is intended for Halloween and has nothing to do with the actual story. It's an extremely botched version of Phantom of the Opera. If I thought about it more I'd probably go through everything from the domino costumes to the wedding vows… The torture chamber… The Persian and Raoul's brother… yeah… But I'm lazy and it's a dream, so… it's supposed to be wrong? Next time we're going to Earth!


	8. Good-Bye

I shall not be uploading anymore fanfictions. Nothing will be updated and nothing new will be added. Bob69 is a user who took my fanfictions, uploaded them onto his account, and then posted them on their own profile. After reporting them to fanfiction a month ago, they've still got my stories as their's. I am highly offended by this because they obviously stole them, based on when they uploaded them and when I uploaded my stories, but doesn't seem to mind this. I do.

I am sorry for those who follow my stories and like them, but I will not write so someone else can take the credit for what I did. I will not remove my stories, but there will never be another update from me.

Good-bye, and it's been a fun... eight, nine years? I hope you all enjoyed what I did manage to finish and thank you for all your kind reviews you have given me.


	9. Good news! However

The person who has been stealing my stories has been caught. However, looking back on it, I don't really want to write fanfictions anymore. Yes they're fun, and sure they're entertaining, like candy, but I have something else I'm working on. A real, original story with my own characters. I may finish up some stories, but I've been quite wrapped up in my own projects. Thank you to those who support me, have helped me, and read what I've written so far here. When I finish my story I'll be putting it up on Wattpad, see how it does, etc. If you want to find me there and wait for the first draft, look up Faerhlsm on Wattpad.


End file.
